Bullet and explosion proof protection devices are used by law enforcement officers and military personal (both generally referred to as "tactical teams") during or in anticipation of armed confrontations or bomb threats. Many of these protection devices are in the form of armored vests, suits, hand-held shields, or portable barricades made of lightweight, bullet-proof material such as KEVLAR, SPECTRA and GOLD fabrics, for example.
As is known, The United State Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) provides a set of specifications for body armor and ballistic armor protection. These specifications are defined as Levels I, IIA, II, IIIA, IlIl and IV, with Level I providing the least protection and Level IV providing the most protection. Level IIIA, for example, is defined as providing protection against every handgun round, while Level IlIl provides protection against high-powered rifle rounds and Level IV provides protection against armor-piercing rifle rounds. Levels IIIA, III and IV, therefore, are generally considered high levels of protection.
Many tactical situations, such as a hostage stand-off or a drug raid for example, require that tactical teams storm a building containing armed and potentially dangerous persons. In these situations, the teams will normally use a battering ram to break through a door of the building. While the door is being rammed, however, the teams are at their most vulnerable to gunfire from within the building.
Accordingly, there is a particular need for a portable armored curtain for protecting tactical teams during the act of battering down a door to gain access to a building. The armored curtain should provide a high level of protection according to NIJ specifications, yet preferably be lightweight, flexible and easily carried. Preferably, the armored curtain should also be quickly, easily and securely deployable in front of a door. Furthermore, the armored curtain should additionally absorb blows from a battering ram without degradation in its armored protection, such that the armored curtain can be deployed between a door and a battering ram while the door is battered. What is also desired is a method of quickly, easily and securely deploying the armored curtain in front of a door, while at all times providing protection to tactical teams.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,995 to Wallace discloses protective light armor. The armor is in the form of loosely hanging and overlapping strips of metal chain, which are designed to "catch" bullets and dissipate the bullets' kinetic energy. Wallace, however, does not disclose a quick and easy method or means of deploying the protective armor in front of a door. In addition, it is likely that the metal protective armor, in order to provide a high level of ballistic protection, would be much too heavy for many tactical situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,351 to Czempoyesh discloses a protective cover for draping around a danger zone for protection against explosions. The cover includes a plurality of layers of protective fabric bounded together at their edges with a border. The fabric, however, is disclosed as KEVLAR, which is unable to absorb battering without losing its protective qualities. The protective cover, therefore, is unacceptable for covering a door while a battering ram is used on the door. Furthermore, Czempoyosh does not disclose a quick and easy method or means for deploying the cover in front of a door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,577 to Bounkong et al. discloses a ballistic blanket having VELCRO strips positioned all around the periphery of the blanket. The VELCRO strips allow more than one blanket to be secured together to form a larger shield. The blanket, however, is comprised of plies of SPECTRA fiber, which degrades upon absorbing blows from a battering ram. The blanket, therefore, is unacceptable for covering a door while using a battering ram on the door. Furthermore, Bounkong et al. does not disclose a quick and easy method or means for deploying the blanket in front of a door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,673 to Seibert discloses a shooting range backstop including panels of ionometric polymer having VELCRO strips for attaching multiple panels together. Ionomeric polymer, however, degrades upon absorbing blows from a battering ram and is, therefore, unacceptable for covering a door while using a battering ram on the door. Furthermore, Seibert does not disclose a quick and easy method or means for deploying the backstop in front of a door.
There also exists a ballistic blanket having VELCRO straps all around its periphery for attaching the blanket to a rectangular metal frame. This blanket is disclosed in a PRO-TECH Armored Products catalog for law enforcement. The metal frame and the attached blanket apparently can be positioned in front of a door to provide a barricade. The fabric, however, is disclosed as KEVLAR, which is unable to absorb battering without losing its protective qualities. The blanket, therefore, is unacceptable for covering a door while a battering ram is used on the door. In addition, the blanket is bulky and relatively heavy at forty pounds and may not be practical for all tactical situations.
What is still needed, therefore, is portable armored curtain that provides a high level of protection according to NIJ specifications, yet is lightweight, flexible and easily carried. The armored curtain will preferably be quickly, easily and securely deployable in front of a door. Furthermore, the armored curtain will preferably absorb blows from a battering ram without degradation in its armored protection, such that the armored curtain can be deployed between a door and a battering ram while the door is battered. What is also desired is a method of quickly, easily and securely deploying the armored curtain in front of a door, while at all times providing protection for tactical teams.